Big Red Edges Bulldogs 14-12

Paul Rice. (photo by Kevin McCarthy)

Sep 26, 2009

Mante Ties Ivy Record with 54-Yard Field Goal

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - An 81-yard touchdown on
Cornell's first play from scrimmage provided a rough start to
Saturday's game for Yale at the Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field. But
the Bulldog defense then proceeded to shut the Big Red down,
allowing only 85 yards of total offense the rest of the way, and
the offense found itself in a position to tie the game after a
1-yard touchdown run by sophomore quarterback Patrick Witt made the
score 14-12 Cornell with no time left on the clock in the fourth
quarter. But the Bulldogs could not complete the two-point
conversion, and Cornell came away with the win in the Ivy League
opener for both teams.

"We had our opportunities, we just couldn't capitalize," said
Tom Williams, Yale's Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of Football, who
was making his Yale Bowl debut after a 31-10 win at Georgetown the
week before. "We had guys open, we had opportunities in the run
game, and there was a time where we were getting four or five yards
per play. But then we'd shoot ourselves in the foot with a penalty
[Yale had seven] or a turnover [Yale had three]."

Yale (1-1, 0-1 Ivy League) played nearly the whole game from
behind. After a three-and-out by the Bulldog offense, Cornell got
the ball at its own 19 at 13:35 of the first and scored nine
seconds later. Quarterback Ben Ganter threw a lateral pass to
receiver Stephen Liuzza (a former quarterback) on the left
sideline. Liuzza then lofted one down the sideline to receiver
Bryan Walters, wide open for the 81-yard touchdown.

"[Yale's defense] is really aggressive," said Cornell head coach
Jim Knowles, whose team improved to 2-0 on the year and 1-0 in the
league. "They're just a great defense. Those are the things you
have to do versus a great defense to have a chance. And you have to
do it early."

That would be the last big play allowed by the Yale defense, as
none of Cornell's drives the rest of the game went longer than 21
yards. Fourteen of them ended in three-and-outs, including one on
an interception by senior linebacker Tim Handlon at the Big Red 15
in the first quarter. That set up Yale's first score, a 23-yard
field goal by senior placekicker/punter Tom Mante.

As the defense continued to shut the Big Red down Mante provided
another highlight just before halftime. Facing a fourth-and-10 on
the Cornell 38, and knowing that Mante had booted a 50-yarder just
last week at Georgetown, the Bulldogs called on him for an Ivy
League record-tying 54-yarder that would have been good from even
further out.

"That was a huge momentum swing," said Williams. "We had been
picking away and picking away, and that was the shot we needed. Tom
is a weapon and we're going to use him as such."

But it was another big play by the Big Red that wound up
providing the deciding score in the third quarter. Witt had gone
without an interception on his first 57 pass attempts, but Cornell
rover Anthony Ambrosi got one at the Yale 20 and took it the other
way for a 14-6 lead with 6:18 left in the third.

The Bulldogs regrouped and put together another effective drive
early in the fourth, as a leaping 11-yard grab on the sideline by
junior wide receiver Peter Balsam converted a third-and-10 and got
the ball to the 23. Two plays later junior wide receiver Jordan
Forney dove for an over-the-shoulder catch and a 20-yard gain to
the Cornell three. But two plays later an interception in the end
zone by Cornell safety Dempsey Quinn ended the scoring threat with
11:59 left in the game.

The teams then traded punts, and a tackle by senior strong
safety Larry Abare on a third-and-three forced Cornell to punt with
1:42 left rather than running out the clock. The Big Red finished
just 2-for-18 on third-down conversions.

The Bulldogs were confident heading into the final drive, and
had a home crowd of 17,654 -- many on hand for the annual Youth Day
activities -- behind them.

"I was ready for OT," said senior linebacker Paul Rice, the team
captain. "I think the whole sideline was ready for OT."

First, Witt had to convert a third-and-10 with a 10-yard toss to
Forney on the left sideline. Two plays later he chose the right
time to pull the ball down and scramble, gaining 23 yards to the 14
with 59 seconds left. After an incompletion, Witt hit senior H-back
John Sheffield twice, and the second one brought Yale inches from a
first down. Witt then kept the ball to get two yards to the Big Red
three.

After an incompletion and a false start with 29 seconds to play
Witt again hit Sheffield, but he was stopped just shy of the goal
line. With six seconds to play and the ball on the one, Cornell
called time, but Witt kept the ball on the next play and went into
the end zone with no time left.

"We all knew we were going to score," said senior tailback
Jordan Farrell, who ran for 74 yards on 25 carries. "We knew we
were going to put it in the end zone. The only thing that was
different was the two-point conversion."

The Bulldogs had the play they wanted on the conversion, but
Witt's pass was knocked to the turf in the end zone and the Big Red
celebrated its first win in New Haven since 1996.

"They had been a man-to-man team, especially in the red zone,"
Williams said. "We had a rub route called with the opportunity to
get the guy open in the flat. We had what we wanted, we just didn't
execute."

The loss overshadowed another great day by the Yale defense,
which has allowed one touchdown in the season's first two games.
Rice led the way with six solo tackles, while junior defensive
tackle Joe Young and junior outside linebacker Sean Williams added
four solos (including a sack by Young) and one assist each.

"Any loss this early in the season is tough to take, especially
in the league," said Rice. "Still, I have no doubt that we can
rebound from this and be in contention for an Ivy League title. We
obviously have to fix some things in all three phases of the game,
but there is talent on this team to win."